Something to Cook: Tortilla Española

Tortilla española is the national dish of Spain, and making it is an inherited skill: You learn the inversion technique at the knee of another cook, standing by and admiring the economy and fluidity of the motion until the moment comes when you man the pan yourself. I got my tortilla española education from the wife of a winemaker I was visiting in Spain, a sweet woman who explained her secret behind making a good tortilla into a great one: Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, she mixes them with the beaten eggs and lets the mixture sit for at least an hour. The warm potatoes exude starch into the egg mixture, and the potatoes absorb the egg, giving the tortilla its amazing creamy texture. She also pulls out a jar of local hot peppers to eat on the side. To this day, hers is the best tortilla I've ever eaten, and I still serve mine with a mixture of grilled red bell peppers and jalapeños lightly dressed with sherry vinegar for the same offset of flavors. When I left, I promised her that I would respect her dish the best I could, continuing to use the technique she taught me. There's no trickery here (except a nonstick pan): It's a simple, honest dish, and once you master it, you'll make it forever.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the potatoes and onions. Stir every so often and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are cooked through and the onions are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Make sure the oil never gets so hot that it fries the potatoes or imparts any color; rather the potatoes should gently "stew.") Turn off the heat and let the vegetables cool for 10 minutes. This way they are still warm but not piping hot, so they won't start cooking the eggs in the next step.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the potato-and-onion mixture into the eggs, making sure to keep the oil in the skillet, and stir to combine. Reserve the cooking oil.

Cover egg mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to eight.

When you're ready to cook the tortilla, heat the same skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of the reserved oil. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook undisturbed over very low heat until the sides of the eggs have set and the middle is beginning to set, about 10 minutes. Place a large plate on top of the pan and invert. Gently slide the tortilla into the pan with the cooked side — which shouldn't be brown and overly fried but rather a soft egg pillow the color of butter — up. (See illustration, below.) Cook for another 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Let rest in the pan for a few minutes.

To serve, invert the tortilla onto a cutting board and cut into quarters.

The Esquire Cooking School: January

SKILL NO. 1: How to Flip a Tortilla

Scott Suchman; Illustrations by Joe McKendry

1. To flip the tortilla, hold the handle of the skillet in one hand, and place a plate wider than the pan on top of it.

Scott Suchman; Illustrations by Joe McKendry

2. In one smooth rotating motion, invert the skillet over the plate.

Scott Suchman; Illustrations by Joe McKendry

3. Next, gently slide the tortilla back into the skillet, cooked-side up.

TIP: The lighter the skillet, the easier it is to manipulate. This is one of the few times that a cast-iron skillet isn't ideal. Too heavy.